Forever Limited
by Beaut
Summary: Kurt's going through a rough patch and Blaine wants to help. He's scared for Kurt's wellbeing and life, but Kurt doesn't see why. I suck at summaries. Rating will change.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: So, I mentioned I might write a Klaine fic in my other story "Don't Come Back for Me", and here it is. Chapter one anyway. I don't know how long this story is going to be, hopefully reasonably lengthy. A scene from this story is straight out of a dream I had (I know, very lame.) and it was beautiful, so I couldn't ignore it. This is what came of it (: When the chapter with the scene from my dream is published, I'll reveal what scene it is. ;) I don't know what to say to explain the story, really. It's angsty and fluffy I suppose. Blaine and Kurt met as shown in Glee, but this starts a few weeks later. AU where Kurt hasn't transferred to Dalton.

Also, I haven't given up on Don't Come Back for Me, I'm just having serious writer's block with it. I'm also about to start exams (English GCSE equivalent and American SAT equivalent, I believe. Basically my college career is riding on them.) that are very important, so I don't have an amazing amount of time to update. I have chapter two of this written though, so if the response is good, I'll publish it soon enough (:

Disclaimer: I don't own Glee or the song "Not Alone". They belong to RIB and Darren Criss, respectively.

So, enjoy!

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><p>Kurt Hummel lay on his bed, thinking. Things in school were escalating past simple locker slams and dumpster tosses. David Karofsky was getting significantly creepier. The creepy stares, the ghost of his hand along Kurt's back or ass in the crowded hallways, the way he slid his hand up Kurt's arm before shoving him into lockers by the shoulder. He had even been daring enough to press his entire body flush against Kurt's back whilst he pinned him against the wall in the bathroom, spitting venom in his ears disguised as words. The press of his hips was just a little too hard for Kurt's liking - not that he liked it <em>at all <em>- and they were the last area of Karofsky's body to leave his own. Things were becoming sexual.

Kurt scrunched his eyes shut harder, making more tears fall, and curled in on himself tightly. What was he going to do? He couldn't tell his dad. God, that would just kill him. He had enough problems with money and his heart condition. The wonderful Board of Education of beautiful Ohio would do nothing to help him. They sat high on their pedestals and went to church on Sundays, listening to priests preaching about Hell and how gay people were wrong and against everything God had taught them. It made it easy for them to ignore Kurt Hummel's complaint of sexual harassment against one of the most involved jocks in the small public school if their Lord deemed Kurt disgusting and they didn't have to see it happening. Holed up in their corner of ignorance they were blind to the struggles of Kurt, who was only a blip on their radar, an infinitesimal problem in the bigger picture. One tiny part of one tiny school in the considerably large area of Ohio that they governed. Thousands of students, and he was just one.

He pulled himself out of his thoughts and off his bed, making a beeline for his bathroom and going straight to his medicine cabinet. In it he had many boxes of painkillers, all differently coloured, some in different pill boxes so it didn't look like he had a drug store's worth of pain medication. He pulled out the nearest box and swallowed a few in a row. They eased his headaches, muscle aches, tummy aches - everything. They made everything go away, just for a little while.

He dragged himself back to his bed, ready for a small nap, when his phone buzzed from his bedside table. He picked it up and hit the "View" button on the new message.

_How was your day? - Blaine_

Kurt smiled as his mind flew back to the beautiful boy he'd met on the staircase of Dalton Academy a few weeks ago. Ever since Blaine sent him that first text - "_Courage_" it had read; simple but meaningful - they texted daily. Blaine tried to help him with Karofsky, but after the kiss and Blaine's failed attempt at reaching out to him, they had both given up. They searched for alternative solutions, and couldn't find one. Kurt's dad had offered to transfer him to Dalton after the wedding but he refused, knowing that money was tight. He often regretted refusing the offer but, when he thought of the financial troubles it would cause, he could never muster the guts to take his parents up on the offer.

_Awful. Bit better now. Yours? - Kurt_

Kurt sent the text quickly, burying his head in his pillow and awaiting a response. It came in the form of his phone blaring _Teenage Dream_ around his room, Blaine's personal ring tone.

"Hello?" His voice sounded rough, like sandpaper. He should get some water before Blaine noticed, but he was too exhausted to move, so he just cleared his throat.

"Are you okay, Kurt?"

"Fine, why? I just had a rough day."

"You don't sound fine. Have you… have you been crying?"

Kurt realized a few tears were still slowly leaking out of his eyes and he hastily wiped them away. Blaine's ability to read his new friend like a book was scary sometimes. "No, no. I was just sleeping." He lied, "What's up?"

"Oh, ok. Sorry if I woke you. I just wanted to talk to you, see how you were holding up?"

"It's fine, I should be getting up anyway." He lied again, "And I'm fine, just exhausted lately. Karofsky is some kind of weird predator, he always finds me in school and it's wreaking havoc on my nerves, you know?"

"Kurt, babe, you should really go to the administration about this. Your grades are going to fall, not to mention I'm really worried about your mental state and physical safety."

Blaine used the term of endearment to soothe Kurt, but every time he said something along those lines, Kurt felt his heart flutter. Kurt snorted in response, "Our 'administration' is a balding Indian man who is scarily devoted to religion and hides behind his desk. He'd probably just suggest speaking calming to Karofsky or something equally as idiotic. Primitive species don't really respond to _calm speaking_." Kurt's snarky tone of voice crept into his words, and he surprised himself. He hadn't heard any emotion or inflection in his voice in quite some time. "I'm terrified. He's been getting worse. Almost sexual, and he _keeps threatening to kill me._ What am I meant to do?"

"Kurt, this is getting even more serious. You should go to the police if it's getting sexual."

"Not an option. They'd call me a fag and kick me out."

"No, they wouldn't."

"Yes, Blaine, they would. I live in _Lima, _for Christ's sake."

"Kurt, if you won't do something about this, I will."

Kurt felt the tears pick up speed and he choked out a strangled cry, "Please, Blaine, don't tell anyone. He'll kill me if he finds out I told anyone. _Please?_"

"Fine, Kurt. But I'm not happy about this."

The line was silent for a few minutes save for Kurt's almost silent crying. Finally, Blaine broke the silence. "Are you okay? Do you need me to come over?"

Kurt sniffled, "No, no I'm fine. Could you… could you sing to me? I think that'd help."

"What would you like to hear?"

"Anything."

Blaine smiled on the other end of the line, collapsing on his bed while he thought about what to sing. "I have a song I wrote recently, if you'd like to hear it?" He asked tentatively.

"Of course."

"Okay. One second, I'll put you on speaker and play it too."

Kurt sniffled and Blaine hastily moved across his room to the small keyboard currently sitting on his desk. He rested the phone far enough away that the notes on the piano wouldn't drown out his voice or deafen Kurt, but close enough that he could hear Kurt sniffling.

He pressed his fingers to the keys delicately, and began to sing.

"_I've been alone_

_Surrounded by darkness_

_I've seen how heartless_

_The world can be._

_I've seen you cryin'_

_You felt like it's hopeless_

_I'll always do my best_

_To make you see_

_Baby you're not alone_

'_Cause you're here with me_

_And nothin's ever gonna bring us down_

'_Cause nothing can keep me from lovin' you,_

_And you know it's true._

_It don't matter what'll come to be,_

_Our love is all we need_

_To make it through._

Kurt was quiet on the other end of the phone, taking in Blaine's voice. The beauty and the truth behind it. He had an amazing voice, and Kurt would never tire of hearing it.

"_Now I know it ain't easy,_

_But it ain't hard tryin'_

_Everytime I see you smilin'_

_And I feel you so close to me_

_And you tell me_

_Baby you're not alone_

'_Cause you're here with me_

_And nothin's ever gonna bring us down_

'_Cause nothin' can keep me from lovin' you_

_And you know it's true_

_It don't matter what'll come to be _

_Our love is all we need_

_To make it through_

Kurt listened, enraptured but extremely tired. He'd have to ask Blaine to play this again for him, because it was lullling him into a peaceful sleep now.

_I'm still in trouble_

_I trip and stumble_

_Tryna make sense of things sometimes._

_I look for reasons_

_But I don't need 'em_

_All I need is _

_To look in your eyes_

_And I realize_

_Baby I'm not alone_

'_Cause you're here with me _

_And nothin's ever gonna take us down _

'_Cause nothing' can keep me from lovin' you_

_And you know it's true_

_It don't matter what'll come to be _

_Our love is all we need _

_To make it through _

_Ooh 'cause you're here with me _

_And nothin's ever gonna bring us down _

'_Cause nothin', nothin', nothin' can keep me from lovin' you _

_And you know it's true _

_Ooh it don't matter what'll come to be _

_You know our love is all we need _

_Our love is all we need _

_To make it through."_

Blaine's voice soared through the high notes, and he sang and played with such emotion that Kurt felt his heart flutter again.

There was a slight rustle on the line, and then Blaine's voice was in his ears again.

"Did you like it?"

"I loved it. It was beautiful Blaine." Kurt punctuated his statement with a jaw-cracking yawn. "You're very talented."

"Are you tired again? I'll stay on the line until you fall asleep if you like.""That'd be nice. Thanks, Blaine."

Blaine stayed silent as he listened to Kurt's now calm breathing even out over the crackly connection. When he was certain Kurt had fallen asleep, he murmured a goodbye into the phone and hung up. He dropped his face into his hands and sighed. He really wanted to help Kurt. He had so many problems, and no one to really listen to him. Burt was forever in the garage or at games with Finn, and Blaine knew it hurt Kurt's feelings and that he felt left out but he was just too proud to show it. Instead, he bottled it up and let it out in tiny doses of sarcasm. Blaine was the only person who wanted to listen to Kurt, but he found it difficult to get him to open up. If he was lucky and he called him at the right time - those odd times where Kurt seemed a lot more relaxed - he could get pretty much anything out of the boy. Except why he was so relaxed.

Blaine flopped back onto his bed and kicked his shoes off, deciding to take a quick nap before finishing off his homework. As he let sleep overtake him, he prayed to whoever was listening that he could help Kurt.

* * *

><p>Kurt woke with a start, drenched in sweat. He glanced at his alarm clock, the blood red letters staring back at him, declaring the time 9:07. He cursed under his breath, why had no one woken him for dinner? He fell back onto the sheets with a muffled thump and sighed, they probably weren't home yet.<p>

Just when he made up his mind to roll over and go back to sleep, his stomach rumbled loudly. Groaning in response, he dragged himself out of bed, deciding it was probably better to get some food in him and let his head clear a little before going back asleep.

He closed his eyes while he yawned, and images of hate filled eyes and bruising grips swarmed his vision. His eyes snapped open. Definitely better to let his head clear first.

After realizing no one had come home yet to make dinner, he searched every cupboard in his kitchen and couldn't find anything to cook. He opened the fridge and pulled out a salad bowl, deciding it would do. He was so exhausted lately he just couldn't bring himself to cook, the energy it would use up would surely cause him to pass out on the stove, and he put way too much effort into keeping his skin at it's best to let it be ruined by burns.

He plopped onto the sofa and watched reruns of old comedies while he ate his salad, trying to distract himself from the awful nightmares waiting to greet him in his sleep.

His eyes snapped open and he realized he was dozing when Finn's laughter and Burt's voice filtered into the living room. They were just arriving back from a football game at, Kurt checked the time, 10:30 pm. Not unusual, but always disheartening. Kurt couldn't help but feel like his dad was choosing Finn over him. Every time they went to a game or a movie after school and grabbed dinner on the way home was a couple hours bonding time Kurt rarely had with his father. He got up from the couch and stretched, feeling his spine crack.

"Oh, hey Kurt. Didn't see ya there, sorry for waking ya." Burt greeted with a clap on the shoulder.

Kurt smiled at him, "It's fine dad, I should be getting back to my room anyways. How was the game?"

"It was great. I won't bore you with the details but it was very exciting. Couple players took some nasty tackles, made it interesting. Carole home yet?"

"No, not yet. Sorry there's no food for you guys, I was too tired to cook."

"Ah she must be workin' late. It's no problem Kiddo; we ate before we got back."

Finn walked through the room to the kitchen, throwing Kurt a crooked smile and a wave as a form of greeting. Kurt waved back and grabbed the bowl he'd been eating out of. He put it in the kitchen and went up to his room, calling a good night over his shoulder. He went into his bathroom again and swallowed a few more painkillers along with a sleeping aid, hoping they would knock him into a deep sleep where his nightmares couldn't reach him. He was suddenly glad he didn't share a room with Finn anymore; the big oaf would surely question the amount of pills in the cabinet.

He snuggled up under his blankets, hoping to Gaga that tomorrow would be better.

* * *

><p>The next day wasn't any better. Karofsky cornered him in the bathroom between second and third period to "make sure he hadn't told anyone how he assaulted him". If Karofsky couldn't even admit that <em>he <em>had kissed Kurt, Kurt figured he was a long way from coming out. He was further into the closet than last winter's now out of style rain coat.

As he's scrubbing his arms raw where Karofsky had gripped him not five minutes after the attack, his phone vibrates.

_How are you feeling today? Any better than yesterday? - Blaine xxx_

He sighs and hits the reply button.

_No better. Thought maybe Karofsky would have come to his senses and eased up by now, but it doesn't look like he'll be doing better any time soon. I'm fine though. All in a day's work. - Kurt xxx_

He fishes a bottle of pills out of his bag and dry swallows five before cupping his hand under the water flow and taking a sip. He waits until the pills calm his nerves and body aches before checking his phone again. He knows Blaine just wants to help, but he feels awful unloading his problems on him unless he has a few hundred milligrams of powdered calm in his system.

_It's not all in a day's work, Kurt. It's not normal and you should really tell someone. I don't count because I can't do anything official. I don't expect he'll ever come to his senses to be perfectly honest. Think of the position he's in… he's a jock in Ohio and the epitome of macho man - football player, burly, doesn't let anyone walk all over him - he'd be shunned big time if he ever came out and he's probably terrified that you'll out him because he kissed you. I'm really worried something will happen to you, Kurt, and I don't want you getting hurt ): - Blaine xxx_

_Nothing will happen to me, I take a couple pills and feel right as rain so don't worry. I don't want him to come out, I just want him to get the hell away from me. Maybe I should use the kiss as blackmail material? That might get him off my case for a while. I can't tell anyone Blaine. I told you, he'll kill me. - Kurt xxx_

_What do you mean you take a couple pills? How often do you that and what pills? Don't use the kiss as blackmail material, that'll make him even more hostile and it's very likely no one will believe you anyway. Because he's who he is, they'll just think of it as a cry for attention on your part and won't even consider the possibility that he could be gay. - Blaine xxx_

An idea struck Kurt as he read Blaine's text. Maybe he didn't have to blackmail Karofsky.

_Maybe I should say that to him… just tell him to leave me alone because he has no reason to think I'd tell anyone. I'll tell him no one would believe me even if I did tell them and that I wouldn't anyway because I don't want to risk being _killed._ And I don't know… a few times a day, it helps calm me down. Just painkillers… they kind of numb me, I guess. Makes the pain easier. - Kurt xxx_

_Don't do that. You have no way of knowing how he'll react. He almost hit me when I told him he wasn't alone. Kurt, how many do you take at a time and how many times a day? There's a difference between 2 every 6 or 8 hours and "a couple a few times a day" … - Blaine xxx_

_I don't know anymore. He's ridiculous. I take four or five at a time around three times a day… but not everyday…- Kurt xxx_

_You what? Kurt that's at least 12 a day! That's an overdose! You're going to kill yourself! Are you_ trying_ to kill yourself? Oh God, Kurt…how long have you been doing this? _

_No, it's not. And no, I amn't. Why are you getting so worked up? I told you, it helps me deal! A couple of months, why? Nothings happened me yet, I told you it's fine! - Kurt xxx_

_Kurt, you could be addicted or something. We have to tell someone. You could end up in hospital! Your liver could fail, you could get kidney problems! There are so many things that could happen to you! This is basically self harm. Do you… harm yourself any other way? - Blaine xxx_

Kurt's jaw dropped after he read Blaine's text. He was furious. Who was Blaine to get so annoyed about this? He'd only known Kurt a few weeks! This was none of his business, and making assumptions was something Kurt most definitely did not appreciate.

_How dare you! You don't even know me, Blaine Anderson. You met me a few weeks ago and you do not get to make assumptions based on the fragments of my life story that you know. I _told you_, the pills help me deal. Have you any idea what I've been through? What I still go through? So what if I want something to take the edge off? I am completely entitled to it! This is none of your business, and don't you dare try to make it so!_

Blaine dropped his head into his hand and groaned. He didn't mean to annoy Kurt, but he knew now that he had he wouldn't be hearing from him for a while. He sent him a response anyway and went back to his History study. Kurt would contact him when he calmed down, and they would go from there.

_I know I only know you a short while, Kurt, but I care about you. I don't want anything to happen to you. You've told me some of what you went through and you deserve to be happy. I want to help you to be happy. We're not friends long, but I feel a lot for you. I'm sorry if I'm coming on too strong, but I can't help it. There is some kind of inexplicable pull I feel towards you and I feel like I've known you my whole life. I'm worried about you. I know they help you deal, but do you think you could try and find a different way to deal? For me? Like, text me if you feel down or put on a show for your bedroom mirror. Those pills will destroy you, and I don't want our story to end before it even begins. - Blaine xxxxx_


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Thank you to everyone for your wonderful reviews! The response to this has been amazing - the traffic and number of alerts/favorites is stellar - so I couldn't stop myself from posting another chapter . I must warn you now, though, updates won't be this fast or regular until around the 18th of June. I'll get another chapter or two up between now and then, hopefully, but after that I'm on my summer holidays and will have looooooooaaaaaaads of time to write haha. Also, this is the chapter with the scene from my dream, I'll tell you what it is at the end! Thank you so much, again, to everyone!

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><p>Blaine awoke with a start when Wes came barreling into his room, "Blaine, dude, come on! Halo war in the commons!" he declared excitedly and Blaine groaned. He'd fallen asleep on his History text book and now the page on everyday life during World War Two was crinkled and a little wet from drool. He rubbed his hands over his face and moved to straighten the page. '<em>Why do I even have to learn this?<em> Everyday life? Really?_ Why did I take History…' _He thought bitterly before slamming the textbook closed and pulling off his tie.

When he checked his phone, Kurt still hadn't replied to his last text. All Blaine wanted to do was help him, but he feared he may be in way over his head. When he met Kurt, he figured he was like him. Bullied for being gay and proud, scared of what everyone thought of him, and wondering if people would make assumptions about him and place him into a certain category his whole life because he was gay.

Now he's not so sure. Now, he thinks Kurt's problems run way deeper. Kurt is beating himself up over everything and is terrified of his tormentors. He's strong, definitely, so he won't let it show that it gets to him. He'll put on a brave mask and face the world every day without fail. But Blaine _knows_ it's getting to him. He knows it's affecting him deeper than he'd like to show - and affecting him in awful ways - but there's nothing Blaine can do. He can't convince Kurt to talk to anyone professional, can't convince him to transfer to Dalton, can't even convince him to open up properly to Blaine himself. There's a brick wall Kurt has constructed all around himself and Blaine has only managed to crack through the first few layers. He wants the whole damn thing to come down. He wants Kurt to see how beautiful the world is beyond that fortress; how much everyone he has placed outside it - and he has placed _everyone _outside it - loves him and wants to help him.

Still, he thinks hopefully, he's only known Kurt a number of weeks, and he's already managed to work himself through the first few layers. Maybe he needs to smash it to pieces from the inside. Yeah, he'll get Kurt to open up to him completely, he'll get himself behind that wall that Kurt thinks is protecting him, and rip it down brick by brick to help him.

Kurt's going to hate him. He's going to _despise _Blaine, at least for a while. But Blaine reasons that it's worth it. Once Kurt realizes Blaine has helped him and lets him back in, all the angry looks and spiteful words will be worth it. Blaine has seen people destroyed by inner demons. He's seen people he loves ripped to pieces by their struggles and refusals of help, and he won't let Kurt be one of those people. If it takes him months, years, his lifetime, he will help Kurt get the help he so desperately needs and he'll stay right beside him the whole time. Whether Kurt wants him there or not.

Blaine thinks this through as he showers and changes into fresh clothes, and as he's walking to the common room in his dorm house, he has a small smile on his face.

* * *

><p>Kurt storms his way through the rest of the school day, furious at Blaine. But by the time he's driven home and started his homework, he just misses him. He reads over the last text he received from him again and smiles faintly. For all that he'd been furious at Blaine for trying to tell him what to do, he can't deny that he feels that inexplicable pull towards him too. Blaine is the only person Kurt has ever felt truly comfortable around. He feels like he can tell him anything without being judged or abandoned, but the fear is still there. The fear that Blaine will think he's an idiot who's overreacting and getting monumentally upset over absolutely nothing. Deep down, he knows Blaine would never think that, but his problems have always been brushed aside by his friends and family as temporary and it has made him insecure.<p>

Kurt knows this stems from his childhood. His parents were loving and affectionate, would always kiss his injuries better and hold him when he was upset. But he also remembers them saying that kids on the playground making fun of him and calling him names were just being silly and that they'd get over it. Even when he was terrified of his bullies to the point of not being able to sleep, they'd said it would pass. That it was just a phase. His cousins called him stupid and made fun of his clothes and voice and now he just can't trust people. Family are meant to support you and take your problems seriously, but Kurt's never did. Now he can't tell them his problems because he's afraid they'll react that exact same way. He knows they're bigger and more justifiable now, but that fear always lingers. So he simply doesn't tell them. He doesn't want them to brush it off again, because then he'll know he's an idiot and that his problems are nothing and his own to deal with.

Kurt closed his Math book with a thud and barely resisted the urge to stick his tongue out at it childishly. He prided himself on being a straight A, honor roll student, but he couldn't find it in himself to concentrate on _freaking algebra, _so he figured one night off from Math wouldn't harm anybody. He could just quickly copy the answers from Mercedes on Monday morning. She was an honor roll student too, but they often let each other copy work if they hadn't been feeling up to doing it the previous night or weekend.

He rubbed his hands over his face and pillowed his head in his arms briefly before pulling himself down to the kitchen. He felt like a dead weight in his own body, walking around sluggishly like a zombie. He knew he should text Blaine, but he felt slightly embarrassed at his outburst and knew it would be an awkward conversation when he did text him. He poured himself a glass of water and, thinking "_Now or never…"_, plucked the phone in the kitchen from it's cradle.

He tapped in the digits he knew so well and waited as it rang.

One ring…

Two ri- "Hey Kurt."

He sighed, whether in relief or anticipation of the conversation to come, he didn't know. "Hey Blaine." Upon hearing the loud noises in the background - shouting overshadowed by fierce wooping - he continued, "Uh… is now a bad time?"

"No, no. Now is fine, the guys are just having a Halo war and _being extremely loud about it!_"The last five words were obviously directed at the other boys in the academy, who quietened down and apologized.

Not ten seconds later, however, Kurt could hear David yell "Hey, wait a minute! We're totally allowed to be loud! Get out of here if you want a quiet conversation, Anderson!" Kurt laughed humorlessly, and waited for Blaine to leave the room.

"Sorry, I maybe should have left when I heard my phone going off." Blaine's voice came down the line after some rustling and a quiet thump.

"No, it's fine. Uh… I just wanted to apologize about earlier. I know I kind of blew up at you and well… sorry."

Blaine smiled, he knew Kurt would come around. "It's fine, Kurt. I totally understand. I'm sorry for pushing you."

"It's fine. Just a rough day, you know? Again."

"Yeah, no, I know. I'm just really worried about you.""I know," Kurt sighed, "But you don't have to be. I'll be fine, Blaine, I promise."

"I know you think that, Kurt, but… I'm not so sure about it. What if things get worse?"

"They won't. I don't think he'd be brave enough to do anything much worse."

"We didn't think he'd be brave enough to bring the kiss up again, or do anything worse, and yet, here we are."

"Can we just drop it, please? I'm not in the mood to talk about this."

"Sure."

The line was silent for a few minutes as neither boy knew how to continue the conversation. They listened to each other's breathing until, finally, Blaine broke the silence. "Can I ask you a question, Kurt?"

"You just did."

Blaine groaned. "Come on."

"That depends… what kind of question?"

"You never answered me properly earlier… _do you_ harm yourself in any other way? Before you answer, I'm not gonna judge you or run off telling people, just in case that's what you're worried about."

"No, Blaine, I do not harm myself in any other way." Kurt scratched at his hip guiltily. '_It doesn't count as lying if I haven't done it in forever' _he reassured himself.

"Ok… hey, it's a Friday, you doing anything tonight?"

"Nope. Homework and TV, most likely. Why?"

"Awesome. You wanna meet at Lily's?"

Kurt smiled into the phone. Lily's was a little diner about halfway between Lima and Westerville, situated in a small town that didn't have many shops. He and Blaine had taken it up as their little meeting place in the days immediately following their meeting. Kurt loved it there. "Yeah, sure. See you in an hour?"

"Perfect. See you then, love." And the line went dead.

* * *

><p>Just under an hour later, Kurt pulled his navigator into an open space in the small parking lot to the side of Lily's. He pulled his jacket closer around himself before slipping on his scarf and gloves and jumping out of the car. He spotted Blaine immediately, leaning casually against his own car, looking into the clouds. His eyes flicked towards Kurt when he heard his footfalls crunching on the snow, and his face split into a wide smile. Kurt smiled back and greeted Blaine with a brief hug.<p>

"Jeez, Blaine, you're freezing. How long have you been waiting out here?"

"Only about five minutes. I probably would have headed inside soon enough if you hadn't shown up. Come on, I'd die for a coffee right now." Blaine turned promptly and almost ran to the door of the diner, pausing when he got to it and waiting for Kurt just inside. Kurt slipped his jacket and gloves off and Blaine scrutinized his frame. Kurt had always been thin, but toned. He had long, lean limbs and subtle muscles, but now he looked like nothing more than skin and bone. He looked decimated. Kurt noticed Blaine's observation after the waitress had led them to a booth, and he raised an eyebrow in question.

Blaine diverted his gaze quickly after realizing Kurt had noticed and ordered them both coffee.

Silence pressed in on them while they waited for their coffee, but neither found it uncomfortable. Kurt stared out the window while Blaine examined Kurt's profile and his own fingernails alternately. Blaine was the one to break the silence, again.

"I'm worried about you, Kurt." Straight to the point.

Kurt exhaled a long suffering sigh and turned to Blaine slowly. "So you keep saying. I'm fine, Blaine. Really."

"I don't think you are. Please tell me what's going on. I know you're struggling with Karofsky and your dad, but that isn't reason to be _this_ upset."

"I'm not upset."

"Really? Because you've barely said a word to me today and made less eye contact. You've lost probably half your body weight since I saw you last and those bags under your eyes sure as hell aren't designer." The waitress brought their coffee over. "Thanks" mumbled Blaine, before turning back to Kurt. "So, would you like to tell me what's going on? I'm worried Kurt. This is not normal."

"Nothing is going on. You said it yourself, I'm having problems with Karofsky and I'm worried about my dad. That's it. That's all."

"Bullshit!" Kurt threw Blaine a filthy look over the table, and he immediately receded back into his chair, from which he'd flown out of slightly in frustration. "Ok, fine, not bullshit. But that is _not _it, Kurt."

"I'm not having this conversation here." Kurt got up and walked to the bathroom huffily and Blaine rolled his eyes. He soon spotted Kurt's iPhone sitting on the tabletop and he reached for it, hoping he didn't have a pass code on it. He discovered, to his delight, that he didn't. He pulled up Kurt's contact list and scrolled through it quickly, glancing toward the bathroom every few seconds. He took Mercedes' number out and put it in his phone quickly, before putting Kurt's phone back on his side of the table. He looked to the restroom door a few seconds later, and saw Kurt just emerging. He threw the rest of his coffee down his throat and, seeing Kurt had finished his, threw a note down on the table and grabbed his and Kurt's belongings.

"Come with me." He said, handing Kurt his things. He gave him a small smile to show he wasn't angry or upset.

When Blaine pulled Kurt in the opposite direction of the parking lot, Kurt immediately became suspicious. "Uh, Blaine, where are we going?"

Blaine smiled over his shoulder, "You'll see!" he said excitedly.

After running down a few roads and turning abruptly more than once - to Kurt's annoyance; running on ice and snow was bad enough! - Blaine pulled Kurt down a narrow, barely concealed alley. He dropped his hand and disappeared down another alley. Kurt rounded the corner to see Blaine halfway up a mostly hidden ladder, leaning back so he was in Kurt's sight and beckoning him up.

When Kurt got to the top of the ladder, he was speechless. They were on a rooftop two stories above ground level, facing the entire town. Blaine turned towards him slightly as he got to the top, smile evident even though his features were bleached out by the dying sun. All Kurt could see was Blaine's silhouette, outlined by the brilliant pinks and purples of the sunset they were facing, and the town below them, twinkling in the same light. He could see some lights being turned on in the homes of the townspeople, but the town was mostly filled with long shadows and the reflection of the sunset off the snow and ice. The buildings were also bleached out in the light, and it appeared as if everyone - everything - was turned toward the waning sunlight, saying goodbye for another 12 hours. It was beautiful. Kurt felt the overwhelming need to take a picture of the black shapes of buildings and Blaine's back against the bursting mix of pinks, purples, oranges and even blues of the sunset. He turned to Blaine when he was beside him and could see him properly, mouth agape and eyes wide. Blaine's smile grew.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" He whispered, as though speaking loudly would shatter the image before them.

Kurt nodded his head and turned back to face the sun. "How did you find it?"

"I was walking around a few weeks ago. I don't really remember exactly how I found it, but I'm glad I did."

"Can we stay here for a while?"

"Of course."

Kurt sat down on the cold roof, surprised there wasn't any ice, and Blaine mimicked him. They sat in more silence for a while, watching the goings on of the town. Kurt was quickly distracted by the icicles on the buildings directly across the street. The ones hanging on the sides of the shops seemed to capture the sunset's light before throwing a spectrum of color out in every direction. It was beautiful, and Kurt knew that the icicles must have been stunningly clear for it to happen. He spent a while thinking, and the sun was almost completely down when he began speaking.

"I feel it too, you know." He began without looking at Blaine.

"Hmm?" Came the response.

"The inexplicable pull. I've never felt it before and, to be quite honest, it scares me. I feel so comfortable around you, like I can tell you anything, and I've never felt that way. What if it's too good to be true? What if I scare you off, or it's all just a trick?" He looked down at his hands fidgeting in his lap. "I don't think I'd be able to handle it"

Blaine's hand entered his line of sight to grasp one of his own and pull it to his lap, where he cradled it gently between both of his hands and waited for Kurt to look at him. "First of all, that's wonderful to hear. I'm glad we're both feeling… this. And second of all, Kurt, I will never leave you. Not by choice, and you couldn't ever scare me off. Do you think anything I did or said would ever be able to scare you off?"

"No." Kurt didn't miss a beat.

"Because of that pull, nothing you do or say will ever scare me off either. Believe me, I've seen awful things, so nothing will ever scare me off. This is the first time I've felt this too and yes, it scares me, but… you don't. Nothing about you intimidates me or makes me second guess myself or you, and that's how I know it'll be alright. Even if it's a foreign feeling and neither of us understand it, I know it'll be ok. So, don't be scared, and if you feel comfortable around me, tell me what's going on. I'm not going anywhere, I promise." He squeezed Kurt's hand in his own to put emphasis on his point. He really did not plan on ever leaving Kurt's side.

Kurt gave Blaine a watery smile before looking away again. "It's just so difficult, you know? Telling people about what's going on." Blaine moved closer to Kurt's side and turned to face the sun, also, without letting go of Kurt's hand, sensing it was easier for Kurt to talk without eye contact or eyes on him. "I mean, I've never had anyone to go to. I never had friends until I joined New Directions, and I'm not even that close to them. There's always so much drama in that club, I don't see the point of adding my stupid problems in to the mix. Sometimes, I don't even know what's wrong with me. The smallest things will make me feel awful." There was a brief pause. Blaine rubbed his thumbs over the back of Kurt's hand encouragingly. "Like, sometimes Santana will crack a gay joke - not even directed at me - and I'll just feel like crap. I know she isn't doing it on purpose to make me feel bad - she never would - but it still hurts. The way everyone uses "gay" as a synonym for lame or bad just makes me feel like I'm wrong. I don't know. I don't know why I feel like this half the time, I just do."

There was silence again while Blaine tried to find something to say. He didn't know what to say. Kurt didn't deserve to feel like that. Blaine never wanted him to feel like that. "Kurt, if you ever feel like that, don't be afraid to say something. Tell Santana, or whoever makes the comment, that it hurts. Even if they aren't directing it at you, let them know. I'm sure they'll try their best to stop. And please don't be afraid to call me. All I want to do is help, and I'm more than happy to listen to you. Whether you think your problems are stupid or not, I don't, and I never will." He squeezed Kurt's hand and released it, standing and offering him his own. "Come on, let's get out of here. It's beautiful, but it's getting colder."

Kurt took the proffered hand, feeling somewhat better at letting Blaine in a little bit, and pulled himself to his feet. Pins and needles blossomed in his legs, but he ignored them, following Blaine back to their cars and hugging him goodbye. He texted him when he sat into his car and set off for home.

_Thank you for listening. - Kurt xxxx_

He checked his messages when he got home, and smiled at the one waiting for him from Blaine.

_No, thank _you_ for letting me. - Blaine xxxx_

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><p>AN2: The rooftop scene is from my dream :P I don't think I did it justice, to be honest. I'm a bigger photographer than writer, so it obviously looked better, to me, as a picture. Thanks for reading! If you've gotten this far… why not drop me a line? :D The review button is right there… ;)

Oh, also, before anyone's like "Santana would totally make gay jokes at Kurt's expense, it's who she is!", I would like to point out that it isn't, actually. Santana and Kurt, to me, have always seemed on good terms and Santana is not at liberty to make gay jokes with much substance given her current sexuality crisis, so, I don't think any gay jokes she cracked would be intended to hurt Kurt's feelings. (Yes, I remember her comment in Never Been Kissed, but even then, it wasn't directed at Kurt (: ) There was something else I meant to point out, but now I forget… Ah well, someone will let me in know in reviews and I can amend it then (:

Much love, Beaut x


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Thank you, again, to everyone who has taken interest in this story. Favorites/alerts are still climbing and I'm glad people are taking interest (: I'm also very, very, very sorry about the delay! I know I said the 18th with probably a chapter or two before then, but I grossly underestimated the amount of study I needed for my exams and how exhausted I would be after them D: I have literally spent the week and a half since they've been over sleeping.

Also, this is AU, obviously, but I'd like to point out that it's mostly Kurt and Blaine's universe. There will, of course, be appearances made by other characters, but this story is about Kurt and Blaine's journey together, so it will be mostly centered around them. If you read this epically long author's note, thank you (: I hope you all enjoy! .

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><p>Blaine was awoken at 2:30 am by his phone buzzing obnoxiously across his bedside table. He picked it up, planning on setting it to silent and chucking it to the end of his bed till morning, and did a double take (that he was sure looked comical while he was lying on his bed with his hair tousled) at the name on his screen.<p>

"Burt Hummel." blinked merrily up at him and, for a moment, he stared dumbly at the phone. He had taken Mr. Hummel's number from Kurt a few days ago as a second number to contact him on, but he wasn't sure how Mr. Hummel had gotten his number because Blaine hadn't called him yet.

Once he realized the call was probably going to disconnect at any second, and his hazy mind had sewn together "Burt Hummel, 2:30, must be an emergency, _Kurt_.", he fumbled to answer.

"Hello?"

"Blaine?"

"Yeah?" He thought it wise not to reveal that he knew who it was, it would probably seem creepy.

"Thank God you answered. Listen, it's Burt Hummel," Blaine heard screaming in the background and sat up, alarmed, "Kurt's dad." Blaine, again, heard screaming, but it was muffled by Mr. Hummel's shirt this time and he heard the older man trying to calm whoever was screaming. Blaine knew in his heart it was Kurt, but he prayed that maybe Finn just happened to scream at that high a decibel and pitch, and that maybe Burt had called because Kurt told him to for… some reason.

When the line cleared, Blaine spoke. "Uh, yeah, Mr. Hummel, how can I help you?"

"It's, uh, it's Kurt. I'm sorry for waking you, Blaine, but I don't know what else to do. Kurt woke us all up screaming and none of us can calm him down. Finn said that I should call you instead of Mercedes or Rachel because he's gotten very close to you and maybe you could help? Have you any idea what we could do?"

Blaine thought for a quick moment before anything came to mind, "Music. Music will calm him, Mr. Hummel, have you tried playing him his iPod?"

"Yeah, Kid, we tried it. Couldn't find many soothing songs on there but the ones we did didn't work at all." Blaine could hear the desperation in Mr. Hummel's voice, betraying his calm demeanor and telling Blaine that he wasn't trying to be condescending by calling him "Kid".

"I don't, uh, I…" Blaine thought for a moment, and then hoped that his next idea worked, as absurd as it seemed. "Could you put the phone up to his hear, Mr. Hummel? Turn the volume up all the way and hold it to his ear."

Blaine knew the moment the phone was near Kurt's head. The screaming got louder and he could hear Kurt sobbing feebly through it. Kurt sounded like he was in agony, being tortured by unseen forces and unable to break free. As soon as Blaine realized he was within hearing distance of Kurt, he began speaking.

"Kurt? Kurt, hey, calm down. It's ok, it's me. It's Blaine, can you hear me? Calm down, Kurt, everything's going to be fine. You're dreaming, that's all, just a dream. Wake up, Kurt, come on, wake up for me. You have to wake up, love, it's ok."

Blaine kept speaking into Kurt's ear, not losing hope. If he didn't come around within the next few minutes, he'd drive to Lima with the phone on Bluetooth. He didn't care if he had to turn around half way there 'cause Kurt had snapped out of it, he'd still do it.

Eventually, Kurt's screaming turned to whimpers, which turned into deep, uneven breaths, and Blaine became aware that Kurt was awake.

"Kurt?" Blaine heard the line shuffle and assumed Kurt had taken the phone from his father's hand.

"Blaine?" Kurt eventually murmured into the receiver, voice gruff with sleep and scratchy from screaming; it sounded odd on him.

Blaine's stomach dropped painfully at the sound of Kurt's voice. Kurt was still crying. "Yeah, it's me. Are you ok?"

"Nightmare."

"You wanna talk about it?"

"No."

"Ok. Want me to stay on the line until you fall asleep again?"

"No."

That one hurt. "Uh, ok… do you think you'll be able to get back asleep ok?"

"Yes."

"Ok then. I'll ring you in the morning, sweet dreams."

Blaine heard the phone thump and Kurt's bed creaking slightly before Mr. Hummel spoke again.

"Wow. Thanks Kid. I didn't think anything would calm him."

"No problem, Mr. Hummel. Call me again if you need me."

"It's Burt, Blaine, but thanks for the courtesy. I'm sorry if I have to bother you again, but I will call if he gets upset again. Thanks, Blaine. Goodnight."

"Goodnight, Mr. Hum- uh, Burt."

The line went dead and Blaine fell back against his pillows. It was strange that Burt Hummel would call him in the middle of the night to help him with Kurt - not that he minded. He'd never mind, all he wanted to do was help. He thought it was good that Burt called, that Finn had suggested it. He didn't know if Kurt had told Finn about their friendship or if the boy had just picked up on it, but either way he was thankful that Finn knew and thankful that he, himself, was able to help. He rolled over on his bed as the clock neared 3am, thoughts of Kurt heavy on his mind.

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><p>Kurt awoke with a start at 10am, body sore and eyes weary from oversleeping. He rolled over to face the room with a groan, eyes immediately registering the slumped form of his father in his desk chair. Burt roused with his son's noise and blinked dazedly at his surroundings before pulling himself to Kurt's side.<p>

"You awake, Kid?"

Kurt sat up to lean himself on his elbows. "Yeah, Dad." It feels like he hasn't slept in a year.

"There was a few false alarms. You want some breakfast?"

"No. I'm not hungry, but thanks."

"Alright. I'm gonna go grab some, I guess I'll see you in a bit." Burt patted his son on the shoulder before leaving the room with a back-cracking stretch. Kurt immediately felt bad that his father had to sleep slumped in a desk chair for most of the night.

Kurt pulled himself to the bathroom and knocked back a few pills before scrutinizing his reflection in the large mirror that sat above the sink. He saw the bags that hung heavy under his eyes, purple almost to the point of looking bruised, and he saw the lines slowly forming on his brow and chin, evidence to everyone else of his recent turmoil, but he took no notice of them. Instead, he bared his teeth a little to examine them before picking up his toothbrush and jumping in the shower.

About halfway through his morning routine - which now only consisted of showering and brushing his teeth and hair - his phone rang, chirping Teenage Dream at a barely audible volume through the sound of the shower. He threw a towel around his waist and ran back to his bedroom to answer.

"Hi, Blaine."

"Hey, Kurt. What's up?"

"Nothing. I was just having a shower, you?"

"Just finished breakfast. Your dad didn't have to call me again last night so I presume you got back to sleep and everything ok?"

"Uh, sure? What are you talking about?"

"Last night after I spoke to you on the phone. I was afraid you wouldn't get back to sleep or something."

"Still lost…"

"You don't remember?"

"Remember what, Blaine?"

"Your dad rang me last night. You woke up screaming at around half two, I guess, and they couldn't calm you down. Finn suggested calling me and it worked. You seriously don't remember?"

"Not at all. Thanks, though, I guess." _Well that's not embarrassing, _thought Kurt, _how did I forget Blaine being on the phone? Or Finn and Dad being in the room?_

"No problem. Hey, what are you doing today?"

"Nothing. I was just gonna stay at home and relax, why?"

"You wanna come to mine? My family's out for the day, so I was thinking horror movie marathon?"

"But you live two hours away and I'm not even dressed… I didn't even wanna get dressed today." Kurt pouted. He wanted to spend time with Blaine, but he really didn't wanna leave the house. "How about you come over here? And bring the movies? Carole's working for the day and night and Finn and Dad are going to a game."

"Sounds totally awesome. I'll leave now if that's cool? It'll still be two hours before I get there and the earlier we start the more we can watch!"

"Ok, Lassie, calm down. I'll see you in two hours. Bye."

Blaine laughed down the line "Shut up. Bye."

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><p>Two hours later, a still very much excited Blaine Anderson pulled up outside the Hummel-Hudson residence, eight different horror films and twenty types of candy in tow. He rang the doorbell and bounced eagerly on the balls of his feet. The door swung open, revealing Kurt dressed in low slung, black sweat pants and a tight white t-shirt. Blaine's eyes briefly zeroed in on a series of scars on his exposed hips, but traveled back up to Kurt's face quickly.<p>

"Hi!" He started, leaning in for a hug. Kurt returned the hug and greeting before leading Blaine into the living room.

"Sooo, what movies do you have with you?"

"Multiple. You pick one out while I go put the junk into bowls."

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><p>Halfway through the movie, Kurt's phone went off. He opened the new message and groaned.<p>

_Hey Bud. Me and Finn are gonna grab a hotel room for the night then head home tomorrow after breakfast. Carole's workin' till 9am at the hospital, you be ok on your own?_

_Blaine's over Dad, so I'm not entirely alone. I'll be fine, enjoy the night._

He sent the message and, before Burt could reply, sent off another.

_Can Blaine stay over? We're watching scary movies all day and you know I'll be terrified alone ): _

_Fine, but no messing around. Blaine stays on the sofa. Love you Kid, see you tomorrow._

_Ok. Love you too._

Kurt locked his phone and rolled onto his side on the sofa, straining his head back a bit to face Blaine, who was sitting in the recliner beside the sofa, laying back.

"Dad's staying out all night with Finn and Carole's working till the morning. You wanna stay over? Dad said it was ok."

"Yeah, sure. It'll save me the two hour drive in the dark."

"Cool. Hey, we need more popcorn. You get it."

"I'm the guest!"

"So that makes me the boss. Mush."

In the five minutes it had taken Blaine to pop the popcorn and put it into a bowl, Kurt had curled himself up in a corner of the couch with a blanket up to his eyes, no longer lying down. Blaine sat down beside him and put the popcorn on the coffee table in front of them.

"It's only a film, Kurt."

"But they figured out how to get into the town! They're gonna kill everyone!"

"Zombies aren't real, don't worry."

"I know, but what if they were? They terrify me!"

"Seriously? Zombies?" Blaine couldn't help but let out a laugh.

Kurt retaliated by throwing a cushion at him, "Shut up! It's not funny! It's my only irrational fear, but I'm terrified of them."

"Oh, well now it's on!" Blaine leapt from the couch, pulling two cushions with him. He threw one at Kurt and began fake gnawing on the other, muttering "Mmmm, brainssss!" as he did so. Kurt fired the first offending cushion back at Blaine, dislodging the one in his mouth. Blaine's head snapped to the side with the force and he immediately turned back to Kurt, acting impeccable as ever, before limping towards him. Kurt squealed and ran from the room, honestly scared.

"Blaine! Stop!" But Blaine continued after him, picking up speed and volume as he went. When Kurt began up the stairs, Blaine grabbed his ankle and tugged, knocking Kurt off balance, but giving him time to brace himself with his arms. Blaine jumped on top of him, breaking character by laughing uncontrollably, and started to tickle him.

"Blaine! No, please! I _hate _being tickled!"

Kurt tried to push Blaine off him and roll away, but only managed to send them both toppling down the few remaining stairs on the staircase, leaving them sprawled in the hallway with Blaine on top of Kurt, inches between their faces. Their laughing eventually petered out and they tried to catch their breath, staring into each other's eyes.

When Blaine's eyes flicked almost unnoticeably down to Kurt's mouth, Kurt spoke up. "We should… we should get back to the film." He pushed Blaine away from him abruptly and rolled over to stand. As they both stood, Blaine's eyes traveled to where Kurt's shirt had ridden up, exposing his hip. His attention was grabbed, again, by the faint scars there.

He reached out toward them as Kurt started toward the living room and Kurt froze, Blaine's hand on his hip. When he saw what Blaine's eyes were fixed on, he pulled his shirt down roughly. Blaine raised his other hand to the shirt, however, and pulled it back up.

"Kurt, what… I thought you said you didn't harm yourself in any other way?"

"I don't."

"Really? Then what are these?" His fingers ran along the scars, feather-light, and Kurt pulled away from him.

"Old. They're nothing."

"Kurt, they're still pink. They're new enough."

"No they aren't, Blaine. Drop it."

"No, Kurt. You know I want to help you. What are you so afraid of?"

"Drop it!"

"No. You keep doing this. Letting me in an infinitesimal amount, then kicking me back out! I need to know things to help you!"

"I don't want your help! I don't need it!"

"Yes you do! Please Kurt, I'm worried about you."

"You don't have to be. I'm fine, Blaine."

"Please, Kurt. If not for yourself, then for me and your friends and family. We're so worried, Kurt. You're falling apart."

Kurt could feel the tears welling, and he desperately tried to hold them back. "You can't know that. You have no interactions with my friends or family and they'd speak to me if they were worried."

"You're wrong. Haven't you seen the looks on their faces around you? The worry in their eyes? I have. And I have had interactions with them, I've spoken to Mercedes."

"You what?"

Blaine pulled out his phone and scrolled through his messages. When he found the ones he was looking for, he handed the device to Kurt. "Read them."

Kurt looked down at the phone, not sure what to expect. On the screen was a conversation between Blaine and a number he knew to be Mercedes'. It was dated the previous day.

_Hey Mercedes, it's Blaine Anderson. I don't know if Kurt's told you about me?_

_Hey Blaine. Yeah, he has. You're the kid from Dalton, right? Kurt's new friend. How did you get my number? And what's up?_

_Yeah, that's me. Uh, I stole it from Kurt's phone. I was just wondering if you'd noticed anything… odd about him?_

_No offence, Blaine, I'm sure you're a nice kid and everything, but how is that any of your business? You've only been friends with my boy for a few weeks. I don't think that merits being told if something is "odd" about him._

_No, I know that. I'm sorry if I'm coming off nosey or anything, I'm just worried. Kurt and I have become quite close over the last few weeks, and I'm just worried about him. Something seems to be bothering him and I'm just really worried. I thought maybe you'd know something that I could use to help him._

_Yeah, you and me both are worried. Everyone's worried about him, Blaine, but no one can get through to him. We don't even know how to approach him anymore. He's a completely different person. He's gonna kill us when he finds out we were talking about him, btw._

_Fuck, so everyone's noticed? What can we do? I'm trying everything but I just don't know… Yeah, I know he'll be pissed. I'm hoping it'll be worth it. I don't care if he wants to burn the ground I walk on as long as I can help him._

_That's dedication, boy. And yes, everyone's noticed. Finn's beating himself up over it. He thinks he's responsible for whatever it is, but we know he's not. He's being the best brother he can be, but he's lost like the rest of us. We're all in the same boat. We don't know what to do, we're all worried, and it's affecting us all. Has he told you anything?_

_Nothing of significance. He's trying to blame it on stress over his Dad and Karofsky, but I don't believe him. He's strong. He wouldn't let Karofsky affect him like this. Have you noticed the weight loss?_

_Are you kidding? How could we not? He's wasting away. Have you noticed the bags under his eyes? The way he doesn't seem to care about his posture or appearance anymore? I don't know who he is anymore, but every time I try to talk to him, he zones out. It's like we're not there anymore. He just stays glued to his phone or staring into space. _

_Fuck. Ok, Mercedes, thanks. Looks like we're all in this together for him. Thanks for talking to me (:_

_No problem, Blaine. The more to help him the better. X_

Kurt had tears rolling down his face unchecked now, and when he looked at Blaine, he could see that he was about to cry as well. Upon seeing Blaine's face, though, anger coursed white hot through his veins.

"Who do you think you are? You stole my best friend's number from my phone then texted her _behind my back? _About _me?_ The audacity!"

"I'm sorry, Kurt, I really am, but I needed to know everything. Did you read those texts? Everyone's scared for you! Everyone's worried! All we want to do is help you, please."

"I'm going to the bathroom. I'll be back in a minute." Kurt ran past Blaine, straight up to his room. He couldn't deal with this. He was doing fine in his own little bubble. Keeping everything quiet _worked_ for him, dammit. He'd gotten over cutting by himself, he was managing _fine_. He didn't need help.

He slammed the door to his bathroom behind himself and immediately sought out his pills. Four ought to do it. Just the right amount to put him as far out in space as he could go without seeming so. Just as he was about to down the pills, he heard the lock on the bathroom door click open and he cursed his dad for having the locks with a little dent on the other side. A coin could easily unlock them and apparently Blaine knew this, because it was he threw the door open.

"Kurt, stop! You can't keep using pills to run away from your problems!" As Blaine stepped forward to knock the pills away from Kurt, Kurt threw them in his mouth and swallowed, coughing a little after from the dry, bitter taste four at once left. "Damn it, Kurt, you have to face up to this. One: you have problems you need help with. Two: you're addicted to these pills! And three: shutting your friends and family out isn't going to do you any good!"

Kurt was exhausted. Crying and fighting took it out of him, and he'd barely slept the night before. He crumpled to the floor, again with tears on his cheeks, and wrapped his arms around himself.

"I can't do this anymore, Blaine. You trying to pry my problems out of me is exhausting either way. If I tell you, it's emotional trauma resurfacing, followed immediately by the fear you'll think I'm absurd and abandon me; and if I don't tell you, it leads to arguments and me feeling bad and I just can't do it anymore! I don't want to argue about this anymore. I don't want to fight. I've been fighting my whole life and I'm sick of it!" He broke off with a sob and dropped his head onto his knees. Blaine knelt beside him and wrapped him in a tight hug, waiting for his sobs to ease before speaking.

"I'm sorry, Kurt. I know you hate this - probably hate me - but if I don't try to pry it out of you, you'll never tell me. I've tried waiting, both with you and other people, and sometimes it works. But I've found that the only effective way to get people to talk is to ask questions and stay persistent. Not to such extreme lengths as arguing about it, but hey, you and I both have always had a flare for the dramatic, so we end up arguing."

"You're wrong. You don't need to stay persistent. It'll only drive me away."

"Well, it depends on the person. Now, do you want to sleep for a while? I can see your eyelids drooping."

"Yeah."

"Alright. But we're talking when you wake up." Blaine's words were wasted on Kurt, who was already asleep. Blaine sighed and lifted Kurt into his arms, devastated that he_ could _lift Kurt into his arms. A result of the weight loss no doubt. He carried him into his room and threw the blankets over him, before lying down beside him on top of them.

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><p>AN2: Wow, this chapter came out all over the place. Apologies. I rushed the end because I wanted to get it out to you guys ASAP. Concrit is welcome, flames are not. (: I hope the story will, however, clear up and get moving soon. Love you all, Beaut. x


	4. Chapter 4

**I'm a terrible author. I'm so sorry for leaving this so long without an update. I could list off excuses here but, as true as they are, they won't make up for my epic fail at updating. Anybody who's still with this story, thank you & I love you :D **

**Updates are probably not gonna go back to regular from now on. I had some free time to crank this out, rough as it is, so I did (:**

**Enjoy!**

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><p>Blaine awoke to Kurt tossing and turning. He yawned and checked the clock, sighing when he read 5:30. They'd slept for four hours so he figured it was time to wake Kurt. He turned back to the boy whimpering in his sleep and shook him gently.<p>

"Kurt, wake up." When he didn't get a response, he tried again, shaking Kurt a little harder. "Kurt, come on, we've been asleep for four hours. It's time to wake up." He groaned when Kurt still didn't stir, and sat up properly to get a hand on each shoulder, planning to just pull the boy up and into consciousness, but had to let go when Kurt screamed.

"Stop! Stop, _please_! Let go!"

Kurt squirmed more in his sleep and arched his back off the mattress, distressed. The lines on his face and tears leaking from his eyes told Blaine he needed to wake him, and fast. He got up to turn the lamp on Kurt's desk on and then rushed back to the bed. He tried everything he could think of, eventually settling on just shaking him and yelling his name to rouse him. This woke him fairly quickly and Kurt shot upright before collapsing into Blaine's arms, sobbing.

"Shhh. Shh, Kurt, it's okay. I'm right here."

"But, he- he tried to- oh God!" Kurt was somewhere between a panic attack and emotional breakdown, and Blaine was completely lost. He focused on getting Kurt's breathing under control, and when that was done, he just held him through the small aftershocks that shook his body.

"Kurt, what happened?"

"It was just a nightmare, sorry."

"Your nightmares seem pretty intense. What are they about?"

Kurt locked eyes with Blaine and gave him a look Blaine couldn't understand. He thought it contained fear and anger, but he couldn't be sure. Before he got a chance to figure it out, Kurt threw the covers from his legs and stood.

"Nothing. Come on, I want to watch more movies."

When he tried to walk out of the room, Blaine grabbed his wrist and stood to face him.

"Hold on. I told you we were going to talk when you woke up; I want to do that."

"What is there to talk about?"

"Plenty, Kurt. Like, your pill addiction -"

"It's not an addiction!"

"Let me finish! Your pill addiction, your nightmares, why you're losing so much weight, why you're pulling away from everyone, why you're hurting yourself and more. Can we please, please talk about that? I care about you, Kurt. It hurts more than I can describe watching you do this to yourself. And I only know you a couple weeks. I can't imagine how Burt, Carole, Mercedes, Finn or even that Santana girl are feeling."

"It's not that easy. You can't expect me to tell you everything right now."

"I don't. But I'd like to know a little, if you'll tell me."

Blaine stepped forward to take Kurt's hands into his own and lock their fingers, staring into his eyes. Kurt deflated at that and dropped his gaze. They were a silent for a few moments before Kurt looked up again.

"Can we at least go and make some coffee?" Blaine smiled at him and nodded, following him out of the room. He kept their fingers laced all the way to the kitchen and then watched Kurt busy himself making coffee. Blaine knew by Kurt's jerky movements that he wasn't looking forward to this. No one would look forward to this. But it had to be done in order to help Kurt.

Kurt settled across the table from Blaine and slid a cup to him. He sighed and looked at Blaine, "What do you want to know?"

Blaine looked slightly startled that Kurt was straight to the point, but recovered quickly. He supposed this was one of the few places Kurt felt comfortable, tucked away in his kitchen with just the two of them. "Uh, start easy, I guess. What are your nightmares about?"

"That is not easy." Kurt shot back immediately, and Blaine flailed mentally for a moment before deciding that if blunt is how Kurt wanted to play it, blunt is how it would be played.

"Ok. Pills then."

"I've already explained that to you." Kurt shied into his coffee and Blaine could feel the whiplash he'd have from Kurt's changing tones set in early.

"I guess. …Do you think you could give them up?"

"It's not… it's not that easy. I could definitely give them up, but they help an awful lot and I don't really want to."

"Well, we have to start somewhere and that's probably the easiest. Also, they're not helping. You're just telling yourself that so you don't have to admit you're addicted."

"I'm not addicted."

"I think you are, Kurt. Would you maybe consider calling or texting me instead of taking them?"

"I don't know…"

"Kurt, if you're not addicted, and you're just looking for something to help, why can't you give up and talk to me instead? I'd help." Blaine knew that Kurt recognized the challenge in his tone, and he hoped to God he'd take the bait.

"Fine. I'll give them up and talk to you instead." Mission accomplished.

"Awesome. And those cuts?" Blaine raised his eyebrows when Kurt opened his mouth to protest, "Don't do that either." Kurt nodded and Blaine smiled softly. "Let's go watch more movies."

* * *

><p>Blaine spent the next movie and a half thinking about what to do next. He knew they probably couldn't kick Kurt's addiction on their own, but telling Burt would probably not end well.<p>

In the end, he decided he'd confiscate all of Kurt's pills and tell Burt. He'd ask Burt to be subtle and hope for the best.

He turned to the boy nestled into his side and squeezed his arm, thinking he'd fallen asleep. Kurt hadn't, in fact, fallen asleep, and he turned quizzical eyes on Blaine immediately.

"Sorry, I thought you'd fallen asleep."

"It's ok, what's up?"

"Uh… I was thinking and… maybe going cold turkey is the best way to go about this."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, it might be easier if you aren't tempted. It might be easier if you let me take all your pills out of the house."

Kurt sat upright and leveled an extremely annoyed glare at Blaine. "That's completely unnecessary. I assure you, I can give up without being tempted."

Blaine guiltily turned his best, most subtle puppy dog look on Kurt. "Please? Just for my peace of mind."

Blaine watched multiple emotions flash across Kurt's face for a split second each. Disbelief, anger, contemplation and, finally, defeat. He eventually rolled his eyes and sighed. "Fine. They're all in my bathroom cabinet."

Blaine stood to leave but Kurt made no move from the couch. "Uh, Kurt?" Kurt lifted his eyes from the screen briefly to look at Blaine and shake his head in a 'what?' kind of way, before turning back to the screen. "Uh, aren't you coming?" This time, Kurt didn't move his gaze from the screen.

"I'm sure you can find your way without my help, Blaine."

This time, it was Blaine who rolled his eyes. He left Kurt to be stubborn in the living room and took off up the stairs.

* * *

><p>As soon as Blaine left the room, Kurt curled up into a ball and dropped his head to his knees. He was terrified. He didn't know what telling Blaine all of these things would mean in the future, or if he even should be doing it, but he was just so sick of feeling alone in the world. Blaine was wonderful. He was so earnest and seemed to genuinely only want to help Kurt, so what harm was it, right?<p>

Wrong. Blaine could secretly be trying to get close to Kurt to break him into pieces or reveal his deepest secrets to the world. But Kurt knew that he wouldn't. He had no motive for something like that. But he was terrified of telling Blaine these things, of having Blaine decide it was out of their control and going further. He just didn't want to be hurt again. He felt like he could tell Blaine anything, everything. Blaine had been so persistent and, honestly, Kurt didn't _want_ to struggle with these things anymore. He _wanted_ to leave them in the past and get over them. Making the first move - telling Blaine everything - was just so difficult.

He thought of some of the things he hadn't told him yet - the extent of Karofsky's bullying, the extent of his self harm, the demons hiding in his nightmares - and shuddered. He _never_ wanted anyone to find out about those things. But, _God, _did he want to stop suffering.

He spent the entire time Blaine was collecting his pills thinking. By the time he returned, Kurt had made a decision. He would tell Blaine everything. It didn't matter how long it took, he was just so sick of feeling like this. Blaine was a wonderful person, could it really hurt that much to let him in?

Blaine fell into the seat beside Kurt on the sofa and turned to face him, hands gripping 5 full bottles and boxes of medicine and 3 opened ones. "Is this everything?" he asked.

Kurt hesitated. He knew there was some in the first aid case in the kitchen, but Burt would probably be suspicious if they all disappeared at once. He told Blaine this and he nodded, "You're right. I'm just gonna go count them though."

"Okay." Kurt mumbled, not completely paying attention.

Blaine returned a few minutes later and they resumed watching their films in silence. Tense, awkward loaded silence.

* * *

><p>Eventually, they decided on take out for dinner. Blaine offered to go and pick it up, saying he could ditch the tablets while he was gone so that Kurt didn't have them in the house all night tempting him.<p>

While Blaine was gone, Kurt grabbed plates and utensils from the cupboards in the kitchen, placing them in the oven to heat. He leaned against the counter with nothing to do, arms crossed over his chest and eyes downcast. His mind was running a mile a minute, but he couldn't make sense of his thoughts. He gave up trying. All he was ever left with after trying to untangle his thoughts was a pounding headache and the desire to sleep for days.

They ate dinner in front of yet another movie and fell asleep around 11:00pm. Kurt woke at 3:00am to an empty living room and a shiver running up his back where Blaine had been. He heard soft murmuring coming from the kitchen and tip toed over to the closed door, wondering who Blaine was speaking to at this hour of the morning.

"I don't know, Mom. I want to help him but I don't know if he wants to be helped. Sometimes it seems like he does and he has no problem telling me things, and then other times he gets so defensive when I ask a question. He's constantly flipping between the two."

There was silence for a minute before Blaine sighed.

"I know he isn't, Mom, but I want to help. It hurts me to deal with this again, but I want to help him."

Kurt found himself desperately wishing he knew what Mrs. Anderson was saying on the other end of the line. He tried to fill in the blanks, but found he didn't know the woman, or her relationship with Blaine, well enough to.

"I already thought about that. I think I might, but only about some things."

"Uh… Yeah. Yeah, I think I am. Is that bad? I'm trying not to show it."

"Okay. Sorry for waking you. I love you too, Mom, night."

Kurt heard Blaine place his phone on the counter and rushed back to the couch as silently as possible, not wanting to be caught eavesdropping.

* * *

><p>Blaine placed his phone on the counter and dropped his head to his palms, scrubbing at his eyes. He felt awful for waking his Mom, but knew she wouldn't mind. He'd woken an hour after falling asleep, his mind racing trying to figure out what to do with Kurt. He'd watched the taller boy sleep for a while before deciding he needed his Mom's opinion. She was his best friend and he trusted her with absolutely everything. He knew she wouldn't mind the call.<p>

Her words kept playing through his mind on loop, and he knew he'd gotten himself in too deep.

_You've been through this before, Blaine, it's going to be so difficult… He isn't your responsibility… Maybe you should tell his Dad… I'm proud of you for wanting to help, baby… How bad is it?… Sweetie, are you falling for him?… Just be careful, I don't want to see you hurt, and God knows being heartbroken is the last thing that poor boy needs…_

_Sweetie, are you falling for him?_

Fuck, he was.

* * *

><p><strong>Can you tell it was written in two parts, at two completely different points in time? Ahaha<strong>

**Hope you enjoyed!**


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